3. Chapel of St. Nicholas della Flüe

On September 1, 1939, at 4.45 a.m., Hitler's Germany attacked Poland with no prior warning, and the following day the Swiss government ordered the full mobilization of the armed forces, under the command of General Guisan. Bells rang for many hours in quick successive strokes. The fear that the conflict would also involve Switzerland spread everywhere. Nine months later, during a solemn mass, the people of Bissone (the bissonesi), urged by their parish priest Felice Camponovo, vowed to St. Nicholas of Flüe, protector of the Swiss Confederation, to build a chapel in his honour if the war continued to spare our country. It was May 19, 1940. Once the conflict was over with no consequences for Switzerland, the chapel was built to a design by architect Antonio Bordoli and by master builder Ugo Orsatti, then mayor of Bissone. The work was completed in May 1949.

Since then the chapel has been a place of reflection and holds a special place in the hearts of the inhabitants of Bissone.